Select this link for profiles of the winners

Eight outstanding Bureau of Land Management (BLM) volunteers (individuals, teams, and organizations)

BLM's 2001 "Making a Difference" National Volunteer Award winners pose in the South Penthouse following the award ceremony. Pictured (l. to r.) are: Tony Lutonsky, Roger and Etha Brand, Jerry Vertrees, Grant Madden, Susanne and Mike DeCenso, Joy Fisher, Sue McMurray, Garth Elliott, Catherine O'Riley, Suzy McCoy, Linda Elliott, Fred Osterhagen, Riley McCoy, and Joe Ross.

and two exceptional BLM employees received the agency's 2001 "Making a Difference" National Volunteer Awards at a special ceremony held Wednesday, May 23 at the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC. These awards recognize exemplary volunteer contributions made in the year 2000 on behalf of the public lands.

Interior Department Chief of Staff Brian Waidmann, Acting BLM Director Nina Hatfield and Assistant BLM Director Larry Finfer officiated. Several BLM Associate State Directors participated in the presentation of the awards to recipients from their state.

"Volunteering is a noble act that really captures the American spirit, and it adds great value to everything happening in this Department," Mr. Waidmann said. "We cannot thank you enough."

Acting BLM Director Hatfield added, "This year's recipients represent outstanding service to America's 264 million acres of public lands and the resources found on them. The work of our volunteers is as diverse as the work of the BLM itself. And as the populations surrounding our public lands grow, volunteer assistance becomes ever more critical for our agency. We are truly grateful to the more than 17,000 volunteers who serve BLM each year."

Assistant BLM Director Larry Finfer noted that "We are on the verge of an exciting new era of public land management with the focus being placed on working 'on the ground' with local communities. You, as volunteers, can play an important mentoring role in these efforts."

In his remarks at the award ceremony, Chief of Staff Brian Waidmann highlighted the growing importance of volunteers to the success of projects throughout the Department.

This year's winners are a diversified and interesting group. They include a husband-wife team who inventories cultural artifacts and assists visitors at the Gold-Rush-era ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada, offering everything from sign repairs to tours of Nevada's best-preserved "bottle house;" and a Colorado senior citizen who maintains and updates over 50,000 BLM land records that are critical to the work of historians, lawyers, title companies — and BLM staff. Two winning BLM employees — from New Mexico and Oregon, respectively — have led volunteers in locating and monitoring archaeological sites, and also mentored students and formed partnerships resulting in on-the ground benefits to our public lands. This year's award recipients hail from or work in the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon.

Surrounding Volunteer Award winner Joy Fisher (at center) are (l. to r.): Brian Waidmann, Interior Chief of Staff; Larry Finfer, BLM Assistant Director, Communications; Doug Koza, BLM-Colorado Associate State Director; and Helene Aarons, BLM-Colorado State Volunteer Coordinator.

The BLM recruits 17,000-20,000 volunteers each year to perform a variety of jobs, from campground host to archaeologist to educator. In some remote areas, campgrounds and other recreation sites would be closed were it not for volunteer assistance. In order to acknowledge these invaluable volunteer contributions, BLM initiated its "Making a Difference" National Awards in 1995, holding its first recognition ceremony in 1996. This year's observance marks the sixth annual presentation of these awards.

The 2001 "Making a Difference" winners are:

• Joy Fisher of Lakewood, Colorado. A senior citizen, Fisher has volunteered for the BLM's Colorado State Office for 12 years. Her extensive work includes maintaining and updating over 50,000 land records.
• Sheila Brewer of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brewer's work includes recording and compiling site inventory records for hundreds of Native American rock art sites within the El Malpais National Conservation Area, staffing the visitor center and preparing informational materials.
• Grant Madden, of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Madden has volunteered more than full time for 8 years and is a caretaker at the Dripping Springs Natural Area near Las Cruces, New Mexico. He also provided fire support during last year's challenging fire season.
• Jerry Vertrees, of Boise, Idaho. Vertrees volunteers at BLM-Idaho's Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area where he runs education programs and staffs information booths. He also monitors wilderness study areas for BLM, sometimes camping out for several days in remote locations.
• Roger & Etha Brand, a husband-and-wife team from Redding, California. The Brands have volunteered over 1,200 hours at BLM's Fishermen's Bend Recreation Site near Salem, Oregon hosting campgrounds and day-use sites and staffing the main office. They also operate a recycling program there.
• Riley & Suzy McCoy of Tonopah, Nevada. The McCoys serve as BLM's winter caretakers of the Gold-Rush-era Rhyolite Ghost Town near Beatty, Nevada. In addition, they have completed a cultural inventory of the area and give tours of the famous "bottle house."

• Getting a good laugh out of a legendary rivalry, BLM Acting Director Nina Hatfield finds herself flanked by McCoys (award winners Suzy and Riley, that is!).

  The Black Rock Desert Volunteers, of Winnemucca, Nevada, a combined core group of 24 individual volunteers and representatives from seven volunteer and user groups. These volunteers protect and enhance northwestern Nevada's Black Rock Desert, America's largest playa (dry lake bed). Among their many, many contributions – removing 25 tons of wood and metal, including 26 miles of barbed wire from the area.
• The Upper Missouri River National Wild & Scenic River Team of Billings, Montana. This is a diverse team that performs public services to benefit Montana's Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River, one of the routes used on Lewis and Clark's famous 1805 expedition. Over the past three seasons, this team has registered (and educated) more than 13,000 visitors to the area which is becoming more popular each year.

The two BLM employees selected as winners for their outstanding leadership in the BLM Volunteer Program are:

Joe Ross of the BLM's Roseburg, Oregon, District Office. Ross chairs a volunteer program committee that is steadily improving the District's program. The Governor of Oregon recently presented an award to the District on behalf of Oregon's "Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism" (SOLV) organization for Ross' efforts coordinating a National Public Lands Day clean-up.

Anthony Lutonsky of the BLM's Albuquerque, New Mexico District Office. Lutonsky created a dedicated and effective cadre of volunteers to assist BLM-Albuquerque in locating and monitoring archaeological sites within the District.

A national panel of BLM and partner organization representatives selected the winners from a large pool of nominations submitted by ten BLM State Offices and the National Office of Fire & Aviation. The award recipients were chosen for their exceptional efforts in management and conservation of the public lands and their resources, rather than for length of service or number of hours contributed.